Workers’ Compensation for Overexertion Injuries on the Job

February 10, 2016

There are some workplace accidents that are limited to a particular industry or to a type of task, but there is one prevalent injury that seems to cut across all types of occupations, and that is overexertion. According to a research study done by a major insurance company, overexertion injuries represent the largest single cause of workplace injuries–about 25 percent– in the United States. Bodily reaction injuries as they are also referred to cost the U.S. economy about $15 billion in costs. This is because in every kind of work task workers are required to use their bodies to carry out their daily tasks. Whether you are lifting, pulling, carrying, throwing or even simply sitting and typing and talking on the phone, over time these tasks can take a toll on the body and can lead to injury.

Common disabling workplace accidents

Although overexertion injuries are more common in industries that involve manual labor such as construction, it can occur in other lines of work such as nursing assistants, warehouse workers and retail workers. Any of these occupations could cause workers to suffer overexertion injuries. In a study of serious, non-fatal workplace injuries based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Academy of Social Insurance, overexertion was at the top of the ten leading causes of disabling workplace injuries:

Overexertion involving an outside source

Falls on same level

Struck by equipment or object

Falls to lower level

Other exertions or bodily reactions

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

Slip or trip without fall

Caught in/compressed by equipment or objects

Repetitive motions involving micro-tasks

Struck against object or equipment

Tasks that can lead to overexertion injuries

According to this study, overexertion accounted for 25.3 percent of disabling workplace injuries. Although it includes a whole host of motions, the ones most likely to cause bodily reaction injuries included:

Lifting

Pulling

Pushing

Holding

Carrying

Throwing

Bending

Reaching

Twisting

Climbing

Stepping

Kneeling

Sitting

Standing

Walking

Overexertion injuries are the physical stress and strain caused by doing a particular task repeatedly, or they can be caused by a single incident or lifting an object that is too heavy. Back injuries and neck injuries are common musculoskeletal injuries
caused by overexertion, but coming down with heatstroke after working outdoors in the summer is another example of overexertion as is frostbite from working outdoors in the winter.

If a worker sustains either an acute overexertion injury, or suffers from disabling pain from a chronic bodily reaction injury that has developed over time, they may be eligible to file a workers’ compensation claim. If the claim is approved they would
receive medical expenses for care related to their workplace injury, and a weekly, partial disability payment for the time they lose at work due to their injury.

A Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorney from the law firm of Larry Pitt & Associates is a good resource for legal guidance and support in facing any kind of workers’ compensation
dispute. Whether you would like to negotiate a lump sum settlement, or if it looks as if your disability is going to become permanent, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can help.

Those who have suffered an injury at work from overexertion may have questions about filing a workers’ compensation claim. The Philadelphia attorneys at the workers’ compensation law firm of Larry Pitt & Associates are here to help. We fight for the
compensation you deserve when you have been injured doing your job. We have offices serving clients throughout Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and
Philadelphia Counties. Fill out our contact form to schedule.

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